


The Ache for Home

by salamisato



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Pining, Post-Canon, Sea Salt Family (Kingdom Hearts)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:27:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25202422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salamisato/pseuds/salamisato
Summary: Lea sets off to become a Keyblade Master.Apart for the first time in years, Lea and Isa crave nothing more than to be together again.
Relationships: Isa/Lea (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 48





	The Ache for Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [venenix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/venenix/gifts).



> Happy birthday, Marti ❤ Here's some Gay Yearning™ to celebrate. Hope you enjoy!

_**“Keep the ones who heard you when you never said a word.” — Unknown** _

The air was different that night.

After Isa put the last dish on the rack, he headed upstairs to his room, his footsteps loud despite the socks he wore to protect himself from the chill. As he went through his night-time routine, he felt a pit in his chest.

No longer was there the thumping of bass music through the walls, nor any laughter ringing from the other rooms—only the crisp sound of the shower’s gushing water and the disconcerting awareness of hearing his own soft breathing. It was strange, for the loudness in their home that he’d grown so used to, hadn’t been around in months.

Desperate to fill the silence, he opened the window. Immediately, the breeze sighed, wafting through the room and nipping at his skin. The trees outside rustled, their whispers both soothing and worsening that pit in his stomach.

The bathroom door opened behind him but he didn’t turn around. He stood still, watching the waning moon above, his thoughts drifting with the wind.

A soft touch alerted him from his reverie. “Isa?” came Lea’s low murmur. The sound of it indicated it was a repetition.

“What?” Isa said. He didn’t turn to meet Lea’s eyes.

Lanky arms wrapped around his waist as Lea propped his chin against Isa’s head. “What’s goin’ on? You’ve been actin’ different all week.”

“It’s nothing,” Isa said absently. “I’m just… thinking about work. Things have been so hectic lately.” He sighed. “I suppose I’m just tired.”

Lea hummed. A long pause stretched between them. Then finally—

“Hey.” Lea pressed his mouth to Isa’s temple, one hand lightly stroking his hair. “I won’t be gone until a couple more weeks, y’know. ‘Sides, I’ll be back before ya know it.”

Isa almost wanted to laugh.

He didn’t know how Lea did it, but he always did. Like a sailor reads the seas, picking up on the subtlest shifts in the wind and turn of the tide, so did Lea read Isa. For just like any experienced explorer, Lea had years of experience in charting the waves of Isa’s turbulent thoughts, mapping the contours of both his mind and body, memorizing them all.

“Look,” Lea continued, “we’ll call each other everyday, and… I’ll send you a bunch of pictures and… it’ll be like I’m not even gone.”

When Isa still said nothing, Lea brought his hand to Isa’s face, caressing the sharp curve of his cheekbone before angling his chin so they could face each other. Isa swallowed, a million thoughts crashing against each other in his mind, but still, he said nothing.

So Lea kissed him. Softly at first, barely tracing his lips, Lea’s hand ghosting over Isa’s face. It took a moment, but Isa finally closed his eyes, exhaling, and allowed himself to relax into the kiss, practically melting into Lea’s arms, tension unfurling from his shoulders. At once, Lea deepened the kiss, opening his mouth and pulling Isa even closer against him.

They pulled apart reluctantly, their breaths heavy against each other’s faces.

Isa was never one to keep his heart on his sleeve, especially after _losing_ his heart one too many times. But it didn’t matter when it came to Lea. Even after spending a decade apart; muscle memory always seemed to guide him through the depths of his lover’s labyrinthian mind, straight to Isa’s heart. And he supposed that Lea knew that too, for Isa didn’t need to say anything for Lea to say,

“I love you too.”

_**“The Greek word for return is nostos. Algos means suffering. So nostalgia is the suffering caused by an unappeased yearning to return.” —Milan Kundera** _

Two weeks flew by and the day for Lea’s departure came and went. At long last, he was going to complete his training as a Keyblade Master, and who was Isa to deny him that? He’d put it off for so long, waiting for Roxas and Xion to finish with school before pursuing that ambition. Now with the kids both off to college, Lea could finally go and spread his wings as well. It was for the best. At least this way, he wouldn’t dwell on how empty the house was without their two shining stars.

And so Isa vowed to do the same. He busied himself with other activities to fill his time: gardening, writing, and baking, all while juggling his work with the Restoration Committee and remaining apprentices to rebuild Radiant Garden into a safer place to live.

The Committee worked closely with the Guardians from the Land of Departure, so he received frequent visits from Aqua, Terra and Ventus.

It was nice. Things were well.

But at the end of every day, he would retire to his bedroom alone and feel that pit in his stomach grow.

And every so often, even as he went about meeting people and working hard, he would catch a whiff of sea salt, and memories would rush to him. All at once, he would remember Xion’s laughter, Roxas’ voice as he joked, and Lea’s warm smile. For a split second, he would be trapped in that daydream and brought back in time. And just as fast as the memory came, it disappeared, though its imprint remained on his mind, following him like a ghost.

His heart ached, his bones weary as the seasons changed from one to another. With each passing day, he grew more and more uncomfortably aware of the passing of time.

As a Nobody, ten years had breezed past him without even realizing it. Living on the median of existence and nothingness had mangled his perception of time. Now it was the complete opposite. Now, he stood helpless at the mercy of the winds of change that rushed past him.

Though his loved ones weren’t gone from his life, there would be no returning to the way things were. When Roxas and Xion and Lea return, they would be different, just as rivers flow with new waters everyday. They would come home with new knowledge and experience that moulded them into shapes different from the ones he knew.

 _Change is a good thing_ , he told himself. _People are meant to grow. If I didn’t grow I wouldn’t even have them in my life._

But no matter what his rational mind told him, in the deepest reaches of his heart, he just wanted to go back. To relive those precious moments from the past. At least once.

He thought of Roxas and Xion, from their bustling energy to their endless teasing and jokes, and most ridiculous of all, he even missed the clutter they'd make around the house.

And Lea. How he missed Lea's doting presence, his vibrancy and passion. He missed tracing the freckles across Lea's skin, missed the taste of Lea's smile against his lips, missed waking up beside Lea, feeling his warmth and seeing his mussed-up red hair. Phone calls and messages just weren't the same. But for now, they were all he had. He would just have to live with it.

Still, his heart yearned to bask in the sunlight— _his_ sunlight.

_Come home soon._

_**“I’ll write to you even if there’s no reason. I am madly in love with your name.” —Mirza Ghalib** _

Lea hadn’t realized just how much _studying_ went into becoming a Keyblade Master. Though he knew it involved _some_ theoretical knowledge— _because why would Yen Sid have all those huge books in his tower otherwise?_ —he still expected the time spent actually _using_ his Keyblade to take up the majority of it. But like life so often liked to do, it proved him wrong.

One thing he did appreciate about his training though, was how much it called for World-travel. Its purpose was to get him to learn from sages and master warriors across the Realm. It was nothing like the thrill of fighting, but still exciting all the same. He loved delighting in the unique sights and smells and conversations each World offered him. The people were always different; customs, clothing, food, _everything_. And the thing he found most exhilarating was leaving his mark in each new place he stepped foot in, making new friends and carving his presence into their memory.

His pride swelled each time he returned to a World and the people there greeted him, welcoming him back with open arms.

But despite it all, he still felt something missing. No matter how many new people he met, he would still turn and expect a head of blue hair, a soft smile and teal eyes. And whenever he saw the sunset, he wished he wasn’t watching it alone.

It was funny how a person could walk to the ends of the earth and see all the wonders the universe could offer, and still long for the simple comfort of home.

As twilight washed over this new World, heaviness set onto his shoulders. Restlessness buzzed through his veins and melancholy gripped his heart.

Instead of heading straight back to his accommodations, he stopped by a souvenir shop and climbed a hill overlooking the setting sun.

There, he took out a set of newly bought postcards and proceeded to fill them with ink-blotted words of little substance. Isa would call them terrible and cheesy, but he poured them out anyway.

_Dear Isa, It’s sunset where I am and I’m thinking of you. Lights, I’m always thinking of you. Every hour, every second, but especially at sunset. I miss you. I miss the smell of your hair, the way you roll your eyes whenever I say something stupid, the way your eyes crinkle when you laugh, even the way we used to argue about stuff that doesn’t matter. I miss your voice. Your touch. I wish I could hold you in my arms. I can’t wait to come home. Not to Radiant Garden. To you. Yours, Lea._

The stars soon came out, and Lea wondered which star was home.

_**“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” ―Maya Angelou** _

It was autumn when Lea finished his training, returning to Radiant Garden as an official Keyblade Master.

There was no fanfare at his arrival. Everything seemed more or less the same as when he left. And he supposed, he was more or less the same as well. Still the same ol’ Lea, just with a cool title now.

He didn’t waste any time making his way home.

When he opened the front door, his family was there waiting for him. “ _Surprise!_ ” they called out, standing amongst balloons and streamers. A banner reading ‘ _Welcome home, Master Lea!_ ’ hung over the archway into the dining room, where a feast lay on the table.

In an instant, tears filled his eyes and he rushed over to them, pulling them into the tightest hug he could manage before they began to squirm.

When he let them go, his eyes went straight to Isa, realizing that he’d cut his hair short. His ears were tinted red from being hugged so tight and Lea couldn’t stop staring. Isa caught his gaze and they shared a lingering look; the sight of those teal eyes enamoured him. And just like that, Lea felt his breath hitch and his heart race as his body ached with the desire to _touch_.

So he did.

He reached for Isa’s hand, entwining their fingers together and pulling him close, then brought their lips together. Isa’s arm hooked around Lea’s shoulder, gripping him tightly, just as desperate for the contact as Lea was. Lea lost himself in that kiss, all thoughts pulled into the trajectory of Isa and nothing else. The World as they knew it could be destroyed in that moment and he wouldn’t care. Because he had Isa.

The sound of Roxas and Xion gagging pulled him back into orbit.

They pulled apart. But Lea kept Isa close, leaning their foreheads together and relishing in the feel of Isa’s breath against his face, in the sight of Isa’s flushed cheeks. After a second, Isa looked up and met his gaze once more. The look he gave sent lightning through Lea’s veins; it was a promise. _Later._

And so they sat through dinner, their knees touching as they ate. Lea basked in their laughter, in listening to Roxas and Xion’s excited stories of their time away from home, and their teasing at Lea’s expense when he began to boast of his own stories. Isa was the quietest of them as always, but still chimed in every now and then with a quip that sent the kids roaring with laughter. _His_ kids. His _family_. Lea’s cheeks hurt from grinning, joy threatening to burst his chest.

Over the course of the meal, Lea and Isa shared glances across the table. Each time, Isa would smile ever so slightly before tearing his gaze away. Conversely, Lea couldn’t look away. Why would he? Isa was _radiant_ , practically glowing, his mere existence making Lea awestruck. It took all of Lea’s self-restraint to keep himself from getting up to drag Isa to their bedroom and tear off every shred of clothing that prevented their skin from touching.

Lea shook his head, looking away and turning his attention back onto the conversation. He supposed looking at Isa right now wasn’t a great idea after all.

They continued to eat dinner and then dessert; Xion had helped Isa bake the cake for the occasion. When they finished eating, they cleared the table up together, laughing and talking about silly things as they flitted from the dining room to the kitchen.

Once the last dish was on the drying rack, Lea feigned a yawn and said goodnight, accusing jetlag for his tiredness, then headed upstairs.

It didn’t take long for Isa to meet him in the bedroom. They didn’t waste any time. Isa pushed Lea onto the bed and straddled him before Lea could even say a word. They kissed deeply, fervent and _hungry_ to touch, to taste.

Lea’s hands were frantic, moving from Isa’s face to his hair to his waist, then gripping at Isa’s thighs, squeezing, rubbing upwards until finally settling between his legs. Isa broke the kiss to let out a moan at Lea’s neck. Hearing and _feeling_ the sound rumble against him sent goosebumps along his skin.

As Lea continued to rub between Isa’s legs, Isa abruptly got up. Lea almost began to protest until he saw Isa undressing, the sight enough to stun him into silence. He watched, eyes roving across every growing inch of exposed flesh. _Lights, he’s beautiful._

“You’re beautiful,” Lea breathed.

“And you’re still dressed,” Isa said, amusement in his voice as he bent to pull his pants off.

At that, Lea spurred into action, quickly moving to unbutton his shirt—until Isa, now completely naked, pushed him back against the bed and swatted Lea’s hands away, undoing the buttons himself.

“You’re far too slow,” Isa said, though it sounded close to a growl. The sound was enough to send heat straight to Lea’s groin. With Lea’s clothes finally flung aside, Isa returned to his seat on Lea’s lap.

They crashed their lips together, becoming one. Finally, _finally_ together, at home in each other’s embrace. Once joined in flesh, they took their time, as all that deep-seated _want_ was finally fulfilled. They savoured every moment of it, revelling in each other’s warmth and desire and affection. Lea wanted to remember this moment until the end of time itself, to engrave it into his brain and have it last forever.

Afterwards, they lay side by side holding each other, chests heaving, hunger appeased at long last.

Isa leaned up to plant a soft kiss at Lea’s jaw. “Welcome back, my love.”

Lea smiled. His eyes fluttered shut. _It’s good to be home._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated. ❤  
> And to Marti, I hope you liked it 🥰


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